British 10k - being made to wear provided t-shirts

Hey all. I'm running the British 10k for chairty this year. It wasn't until after I signed up that I found out that this race can be...questionable sometimes.

Anyway, found out today that they are going to be making us wear t-shirts that they will provide, with our running numbers on them. I don't like this, myself and a huge bunch of us running for charity are supposed to be running in fancy dress. It's going to be hard to do that if we are all being made to be t-shirt clones for the day. I also don't like the idea of running in a shirt I haven't trained in.

This is from the FAQ: "You must also wear your race t-shirt as this will be your race number so this number will need to be visible at all times."

I'm almost wishing I hadn't signed up and if it wasn't for my charity I would consider pulling out.

Thoughts?

Hey Faya,

I'm afraid I have no idea how strict the organisers are about wearing the t-shirts, but if you don't mind ruining the shirt you could cut the numbers off and pin them to your costumes.

It's such a pain, I did a 10k race a few years ago where you had to wear the race tshirt. The race was in mid-July, it was boiling, and the race t-shirt was thick black technical fabric. Horrible. But seeing as Nike has come on board as sponsor I wouldn't be surprised if this was to make sure their branding is prominent throughout the event.

Grendel - I'm sure it ISN'T run under UKA rules. Someone posted a response from race organisers in one of the other threads, they said they aren't run under UKA rules and have no plans to try to get accrediation in future.

Same.  Wasn't aware of this.  But aware of the reputation as one year did the 5k they held before the 10k.  Bit of a shambles.  But I like the route.

If everyone refuses to wear the t-shirt - what they going to do?!  There are hardly any marshals, so i'm going to rebel.

this is indeed so the Nike people can take nice big photos of a whole field of people wearing their logo - I just saw one of these at the Nike shop in London...a trend to be resisted if possible

Oh.  Like those cool people who like children's cartoons?

No.  Haven't seen them at a Ramblers convention.

Anwya, as much as I would like to hjack this thread for a bit of unhealthy banter between two old friends.  I don't.

I usually do this one and it can be a bit of a shambles. 

in their FAQs they give the following answers to  questions - 

Is fancy dress allowed?

Yes but please make sure it is lightweight, practical and runner friendly. The run is in summer, so make sure you're not going to be too hot. You must also wear your race t-shirt as this will be your race number so this number will need to be visible at all times   (!!!  that would be fun over a costume then!!)

Do I have to wear my raace t-shirt?

Yes. This t-shirt is also your race number so must be worn throughout the race and the number itself must be visible at all times. This is important so we know you are part of the race and services like photos and video will only work if your race number is visible.  

I had the same issue with Run to the Beat last year though they did back down and say I could wear something else and just display my number.  It's a crazy plan as your shirt might not fit or could be uncomfortable.  To send it back and get a different one would cause chaos with the race numbers and leave very little time for you to train wearing the new gear. 

 Will it be a technical shirt or their usual cotton type thing?  No way I would run in their usual offering.

They're not known for being in control too well once you get past the baggage drop so I would say do what you like once you're through. Displaying your number is the important thing.

Also, if they don't tell you about that bit up front they can hardly insist you stick to it.

I'm quite glad I have a clash of events this year !

Good luck